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Match-fixing is an unfortunate plague that is present in all sports. Tennis is no different. Many tournaments worldwide have this issue, and players are often caught in its midst. Marco Trungelliti, 33, is an Argentine player who experienced a difficult time due to the issue. He was troubled, and who should rush to his rescue but Novak Djokovic? Trungelliti revealed how Djokovic helped him. He also claimed that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain absent when it comes to helping the players.  

The Djoker founded the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2019. It was formed with the aim to represent players in the top 500 and help them earn their dues and make a living from the sport. It was the PTPA that stepped up for Trungelliti, who returned to Argentina after 2019. 

Argentine player lauds Novak Djokovic for help

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Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti admitted in 2019 via La Nacion that he had declined an offer to join a match-fixing and betting network. The player said his mental health suffered following the confession. He was bullied relentlessly, and rumors to destroy his image were being spread. He even feared for his life at one point. Therefore, playing in Argentina became impossible, and he stuck to Europe and North America.

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Trungelliti played his last match in Argentina when he confessed his refusal. After four years, he has returned to compete in the Buenos Aires Challenger. He further stated that Novak Djokovic’s PTPA helped him come back and that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal couldn’t help him slightly. 

What Djokovic and Pospisil are doing also seems essential. People may like it or not, but Federer and Nadal never said anything. Whether you like it or not, they are accomplices to how broken the system is because they were never able to speak up and fight for the players’ rights. If they ever did, it was internally, but it didn’t change anything.”  

Trungelliti also thanked Djokovic for his help when the two met in New York. 

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PTPA comes through for players in need

Trungelliti eventually managed to return to his usual mental health due to the aid provided. He met Djokovic and thanked him for what he did for the players. Trungelliti also met Vasek Pospisil, another founder of the PTPA, in the US Open. He spoke with Pospisil and asked him why he was working hard to help other players.  

He told me that he had been injured for many months, started thinking about things, and despite having more support than South Americans, being Canadian, he was able to detach himself and see life in general“.

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Djokovic and his PTPA have come through for the Argentine player on the wrong side of Argentinian tennis. With the PTPA speaking for the players, they will likely attract more players to join their organization and brand out even more. 

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